Electricity sector in Mexico

Mexico: Electricity sector
Data
Electricity coverage (2015) 98.7%[1]
Installed capacity (2020) 86.034 GW[2]
Share of fossil energy 65.0%
Share of renewable energy 35.0% (hydro, wind, solar & geothermal)
Share of nuclear energy 2.4%
GHG emissions from electricity generation (2004) 114 MtCO2e
Average electricity use (2008) 1,665 kWh per capita
Continuity of supply 2.2 hrs interruption per subscriber per year
Total losses (2008) 11% (CFE), 32% (LFC); (LAC average in 2005: 13.6%)
Average residential tariff (US$/kWh, 2008) 0.106; (LAC average in 2005: 0.115)
Average industrial tariff (US$/kWh, 2008) medium: 0.153, large: 0.118 (LAC average in 2005: 0.107)
Average agricultural tariff (US$/kWh, 2008) 0.051
Annual investment in electricity n/a
Share of self-financing by utilities n/a
Share of Government financing n/a
Institutions
Sector unbundling No
Share of private sector generation 25%
Share of private sector in distribution 0%
Competitive supply to large users No
Competitive supply to residential users No
Number of service providers dominating 2: CFE & LFC (LFC now part of CFE, since 2009)
Responsibility for transmission CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad)
National electricity regulator Yes (CRE)
Responsibility for policy setting SENER
Responsibility for renewable energy SENER
Responsibility for the environment SEMARNAT
Electricity Sector Law Yes (1976, last revision 1992)
Renewable Energy Law Yes (2008)
CDM transactions related to the energy sector 47 registered CDM project; 3.7 million tCO2e annual emissions reductions

As required by the Constitution, the electricity sector is federally owned, with the Federal Electricity Commission (Comisión Federal de Electricidad or CFE) essentially controlling the whole sector; private participation and foreign companies are allowed to operate in the country only through specific service contracts. Attempts to reform the sector have traditionally faced strong political and social resistance in Mexico, where subsidies for residential consumers absorb substantial fiscal resources.

The electricity sector in Mexico relies heavily on thermal sources (75% of total installed capacity), followed by hydropower generation (19%). Although exploitation of solar, wind, and biomass resources has a large potential, geothermal energy is the only renewable source (excluding hydropower) with a significant contribution to the energy mix (2% of total generation capacity). Expansion plans for the period 2006-2015 estimate the addition of some 14.8 GW of new generation capacity by the public sector, with a predominance of combined cycles.

  1. ^ "Principales resultados de la Encuesta Intercensal 2015 Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (PDF). INEGI. p. 106. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  2. ^ Capacidad instalada de la CFE y del resto de los permisionarios (MW)